Is this the peak of an iceberg? We are in the same boat

There is a growing belief that the world is facing a number of challenges that are too great and complex for any one country to tackle alone, and must therefore be addressed through joint efforts. Effective international cooperation is needed, to address challenges such as the harmful spread of the COVID-19 virus, the threat of climate change, rising violence in fragile states and regions and record migration and refugee levels.

To that end, Summer School for Young Diplomats “Gavro Vuković” gathered prominent speakers from all around the world to share their views on the current world issues, but also to discuss the ways in which we can approach these issues and ultimately overcome them.

Age of Adaptation

Attendees of Summer School for Young Diplomats had the chance to hear interesting insights from Adil Najam, Dean of Boston University’s Pardee School of Global Studies, who was one of the first “soldiers” to enter the climate change battle 25 years ago. Najam started his session on climate diplomacy in the age of adaptation with his thoughts on the main issue of today,

“We are trying to do climate diplomacy on a third world planet.”

He moved on to explain his statement by saying that if we thought of our planet as if it was a country, we would have imagined a poor, insecure, divided and poorly governed country. That is why the current approach cannot work on a global scale, and why we cannot pretend that our planet is as developed as an average developed country.

We should bear in mind that climate is no longer a future issue. In fact, the climate change is happening now and it’s in our homes. Every step forward from now on should be about adaptation, whether through a local or global approach.

Cooperation for a Better Tomorrow

Gathering some of the prominent members of the diplomatic corps in Montenegro, Mirsad Bibović, who currently serves as an Ambassador-at-large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro, led a discussion about global cooperation for global challenges. Joining him in the conversation were Liu Jin, Ambassador of P.R. China, Vladislav Maslennikov, Ambassador of Russian Federation, Anthony Simpson, Ambassador of New Zealand, Karen Maddocks, British Ambassador and Chris Karber, Deputy Chief of Mission of the US Embassy. The fact that we could hear opinions from representatives of both big and small countries gave added value to the conversation.

During the lively discussion the participants agreed that the key component to battling the crisis is none other than multilateralism. In a time when insecurity and instability are leading the change, multilateralism is the key to address all the challenges.

Involvement of small countries in global cooperation is specifically important. Joint efforts could contribute to multiplying the effectiveness of the common reaction to the challenges such as health crisis, disinformation and false reporting. Moreover, taking part in international organisations like the UN allows small countries to have an equal say as their ‘bigger partners’ in the decision making process. The significance of participation in global affairs was highlighted by a saying from New Zealand, in words of Ambassador Simpson,

“If you’re not at the table, you’re often on the menu.”

Role of Innovation in advancing Sustainable Development and Human Rights

Coming from a country that gives us a great example in many spheres, including fighting COVID-19 health crisis, Jarmo Sareva, Ambassador for Innovation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland, passed the message to young diplomats that only resilient societies can bear crisis situations.

“The lack of resilience in developing countries can cost lives in crises such as COVID-19 pandemic.”

He pointed out that the role of science, technology and innovation are essential in these situations – they provide greater opportunities and build defense from uncertainties. Same tools based on digitisation that are used for businesses can be used for development in a country. Science, technology and innovation shall be rooted deeply in a human-centric approach, meaning that you decide the solutions with people to whom you provide the solutions. Sareva reminded us that a safe digital environment, more gender-aware technology and innovation for sustainable development are what we need to strive for.

One World, Thousands of Cultures

Global cooperation requires extensive and continuous interaction between different parties. For that reason, young diplomats are encouraged to learn how to communicate both verbally and nonverbally with their international colleagues. The expert in international relations and conflict management, Siniša Vuković, who is a Senior Lecturer at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies, shared some of his observations.

He explained that working in a multicultural environment implies different communication patterns. Gestures, concepts like problem solving, gaining trust or managing time vary from one culture to another, which can be challenging for diplomats at the beginning of their careers. Vuković urged young diplomats not to exaggerate in their assumptions because everybody’s not the same, underlining this statement with his own definition of culture,

“Your culture is what you do without even thinking.”

This holds true for different countries, communities, businesses and organisations – each one has its own culture. He reminded the participants just how important it is to know the right way to communicate with different groups.

Sound of Activism

Civil society groups including NGOs, social movements, labour units, academia and professional associations impact a number of global issues regarding diplomacy, trade and economy. Nikola Ivezaj, Vice President and Deputy to Chief Policy and Governmental Relations Officer at Global Citizen Movement, spoke about the role of civil society in international relations and its efforts to promote democracy, universal values, United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“Civil society groups are bridging the gaps that governments and international institutions cannot bridge fast enough.”

As a member of the Global Citizen Movement, Ivezaj and his colleagues are using their expertise to advocate for the elimination of extreme poverty and implementation of SDGs. They have made it possible for everyone to try to make an impact in the world by doing something as simple as retweeting or reposting from your couch. Multiplied effects of these actions can actually put a pressure on politicians to act on emerging issues, and that is the important contribution that Global Citizen Movement gives to the global community.

The Masterplan for Success

“Transforming our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” is the only truly global universal plan that connects all countries and citizens around the world. Miloš Popović, Partnership and Development Officer at UN Montenegro, share with young diplomats the Agenda that serves as a commitment to eradicate poverty and achieve sustainable development world-wide by 2030 where national governments are encouraged to put universal SDGs into national context in order to create a better and more sustainable future for all.

Online audience is informed about the progress Montenegro has made in respect to achieving Agenda 2030. With the accession to the EU, Montenegro’s progress towards global targets will undoubtedly accelerate, as 2/3 of the Agenda are covered by the accession process. The remaining gaps can be filled only by cooperation. That cooperation, however, should focus on breaking with negative elements of the past and projecting the world as a new one. In order to achieve it, Montenegro, as well as other small countries, ought to reinforce joint efforts in multilateral relations within the UN, the organisation that has worked in interest of global welfare for 75 years.